Just a reminder that you're
receiving this email because you or your daughter is a member of or is
affiliated with Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia. Don't forget to add our email
to your address book so we'll be sure to land in your inbox!

What do we think about now? How far we have come in the last five
years or how far we have yet to go?

We have been on an amazing journey together and our celebrations of
success have been tempered with our acknowledgement of our next
steps. Looking back at our early days, it was difficult to know
where to begin in establishing Historic Georgia as a viable entity - we
laugh now but those first months were a test of everyone's patience and
willpower. I found this great quote:

"No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow your progress you
are still way ahead of everyone who isn't trying."

We certainly did not shy away from trying - new things, old ways,
combined ways - blazing new trails with the Extreme Makeover and
the Centennial Celebrations. The memories will are ours forever.

Always remember the work you do is important and impactful to the girls
of Georgia - when you are frustrated or bogged down in paperwork, make
time to go and participate in a girl event - that is where the mission is
manifest and where you gain your inspiration. It's truly all about
the girls.

"Making one
person smile can change the world - maybe not the whole world, but their
world."

I hope you'll continue to "change the world!" See you
later!

Margaret Skene
Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia

summer
camp 2013go outdoors

Summer camp has started! Girl Scout summer camp is
a place where girls are empowered to step out of their comfort zone,
take risks and grow as leaders. Please note that the registration
deadline for our STEM Camps is June 20, 2013. For additional
information regarding these opportunities, please visit our website at www.gshg.org/camps!

Also: Just in time for summer camp, the requirements for PAs,
CITs, and VITs have recently been updated. Read more...

disaster
relief helping oklahoma

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those affected
by the massive and devastating tornados that recently tore through
Oklahoma. Many lives were lost, including a Girl Scout who was a
member of the Girl Scouts-Western Oklahoma Council.

The council appreciates all of the good wishes, but is unable to handle
all of the calls and emails at this time. We ask that you not call or
email the council, but instead check its website or Facebook and Twitter feeds for
the latest information. The council also cannot accommodate material
donations, such as blankets and other goods. Instead, the council has
created the Girl Scouts Western Oklahoma Tornado Relief Fund
that will help get troops back up and running, provide scholarships for
program and camp participation, and offer other support to Girl Scouts
in the affected areas. You can text the word GIRLS to 20222 to make a
$10 donation. In addition, the council is encouraging girls to send
messages or art in the shape of the Girl Scout trefoil that will be
presented this summer to Girl Scouts affected by the storm. Send your
trefoil artwork to:

You are now able to get important GSHG updates to your phone via
text message! Opt in to receive our weekly text update
by texting the words "follow GSHGupdates" to 40404.
It's that easy! Standard text messaging rates apply.

Please note: This service is
provided by Twitter, so you may receive an occasional text/tweet
from "Here's a Top Tweet." To prevent these from coming
to your phone, just reply to that message with the words "set
discover off" so that you only receive GSHG texts.

operation
cookies from home

letters
of appreciation

Each year,
deployed service members around the world enjoy their favorite Girl
Scout Cookies as a result of Operation Cookies from Home, a program of
Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia. Girl Scouts sell cookies to
sponsoring members of the public, then work with Georgia military
installations and contacts to ensure that they are shipped and delivered
to service members overseas. Girls often include notes of thanks in the
shipment along with the cookies and sometimes receive photos and thank
you notes in return. Several Girl Scout troops have shared with
us the notes and emails that they've recently received, and we've
posted them on our website to share - just click here!

lifetime membershipregister now

GSHG's Early Bird registration period is now over, but there's still
time to become a lifetime member at a discounted rate. A Girl
Scout Lifetime Membership is tax-deductible. Cost is currently
$156 for graduating seniors and $300 for adults. Beginning
October 1, 2013, cost will increase to $195 for graduating seniors and
$375 for adults.

important info for volunteers

COOKIE PRICE INCREASE: At
the regular meeting on May 22, your board of directors voted to
raise the price of cookies from $3.50 to $4.00 per box for the 2014
sale. Please take a moment to read through this recent letter from our Board Chair,
Don Gregory.

SUMMER SAFETY REMINDER: If
your troop is planning an activity outside of your troop meeting
location this summer, please be sure to review the "Safety
Activity Checkpoints" at www.gshg.org. As of June 1, use
of Safety Wise has been discontinued and these will become the
official safety standard.

ETC (Extreme Team Conferences): The
ETC's are designed to support your Service Unit team. Service
Unit team members can take position training or learn about new
strategies and enrichment options to enhance your area's current
Girl Scout programming. Please use this form to register.

Albany: August
17 at Victory Baptist Church (Tifton)

Athens/Gainesville: July 13
at Homer United Methodist Church

Augusta: August
3 at St. Mark United Methodist Church

Columbus: August
3 at Spirit, Truth and Liberty Ministry

Macon: August
3 at Camp Martha Johnston

Savannah: July 20
at Fort Stewart Main Post Chapel (Hinesville)

MORE GSHG TRAINING:
GSHG encourages all volunteers to regularly view our Volunteer Training
calendar available on our website as we are always adding new
trainings. Dates are now posted for the following GSHG
trainings:

First Aid/Adult & Child CPR training

Daisy/Brownie and Junior/Cadette Grade
Level Trainings

Facilitator's Retreat

Product Sales Retreat

Low and High Challenge Course Facilitator
Training -
new!

USING A SMART PHONE? Scan the
QR code to the right to update your volunteer application on file.
(This needs to be done once every three years.)

IMPORTANT
SHOP INFORMATION:

All
council shops will be closed July 4-7.

Shops will NOT be open the first Saturday of July; however:
Gainesville/Athens shop will attend ETC in Homer on July 13th.
Savannah shop will attend ETC on July 20th.

Gainesville shop will be closed the entire week of July 22-26.

information for alumnae:

On May 4, 2013,
Girl Scout Alumnae gathered for a reunion at Camp Martha Johnston in
Lizella, Georgia. This event was organized by the alumnae of Troop
255, who met at Macon's Ingleside Baptist Church in the 1960s.

Though the weather was rainy, almost two dozen Girl Scout
alumnae still came out to CMJ to share pictures and memories and begin a
digital archive. Badges, sashes, uniforms, handbooks, camp rosters,
newspaper clippings and snapshots from as early as the 1940s were on
display. All in attendance enjoyed both the fire in the fireplace
and the Girl Scout Cookies!

troops on the move

1. Girl Scouts
from Columbus area Troop
#50143 and Troop
#50400 recently attended the MEA Credit Union's
"Money Manager Madness" program. This event closed out
the girls' month of financial literacy learning and helped them complete
their requirements for the Financial Literacy Badge.

2. Due to the great success of this year's Girl Scout Cookie
program, Girl Scout Troop
#20164 of the Augusta area was able to donate cookies to
numerous organizations/recipients this year, including the U.S. Embassy
in Kabul. The troop held a packing party to prepare boxes and
create thank you notes that were then distributed to soldiers and
operatives in the field. While security issues prevented them from
knowing their recipients' specific assignments or locations, the troop
did receive e-mails, a certificate of appreciation and a flag flown over
the embassy in Afghanistan in return, making their efforts worthwhile.

3. Valdosta Girl Scout Troop
#40046 and Troop
#40124 recently met at Valdosta City Hall to remove
nearly 1,000 blue pinwheels and bows representing the 957 reported cases
of child abuse/neglect in the area. This served as a community
service project and gave the troops an opportunity to discuss this
serious topic.

4. Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors from the Marshes of Glynn Service Unit
in Brunswick recently took an exciting trip to New York City! They
visited Times Square, Central Park, Freedom Tower #1, and Chinatown, and
they saw the musical Annie.

6. Girl Scout Junior Christian Cook from Troop #20044
of Augusta recently completed her Bronze Award project with hospitalized
veterans. The theme of her project was "Caring for Those Who
Have Cared for Us: Saluting America's Heroes." With
support from her community, she was able to donate 45 care packages to the
Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center. Christian said, "I wanted
to honor my grandfather and those who have done so much for this
country."

7. The Clarke
County Service Unit in Athens had a beautiful day for
their all-ages bridging ceremony at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.

8. Daisy Girl Scout Troop
#30406 from Richmond Hill and the Cedar Service Unit
recently held a bridging ceremony to "bridge up" to
Brownies.

Is your troop doing
cool things? Take a photo and send it to tnobles@gshg.org. Please be
sure to include your troop number, where you're from and a short
description of the event in your email.Note: Only
high-resolution photos can be used. Please do not send photo collages.

ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION:

All
GSHG service centers will be closed on Thursday, July 4, andFriday, July 5,
in observance of Independence Day.

Please note that
current COOKIE CREDITS expire on September 18, 2013.Please plan to
use yours prior to this date.